Page 48 of Deal Breaker
The Greenstream partnership we’ve been working on still isn’t finalized, and this morning I learned that there’s a three-day summit in Whistler starting Friday—a chance to meet with investors and sustainability leaders, and hopefully generate the kind of PR that could go a long way towards salvaging Cove’s reputation.
This is important. It’s our chance to prove to our clients and shareholders that the company’s values are more than just words on paper. That we have the vision and the drive to position ourselves as a global leader in this sphere. It’s critical, and it’s something that Landyn needs to be a part of.
I reach for my phone and type out the message without overthinking it.
Me: Block off next Friday through Sunday. We’re going to Whistler for the Sustainability Summit. I want you there for the panels and meetings. Clear your schedule if you need to.
I return to the consumer reports that Jesse sent me this morning, but I’m distracted, checking my phone every few minutes to see if she’s replied. Twenty minutes later, I give up my weak attempts to get any work done. I leave my office, glancing at Landyn’s empty desk as I pass it. I head to theworkspace where she and Jesse usually meet in the morning. When I don’t find her there, I scan the floor, hoping to catch sight of her. Nothing.
I drag a hand through my hair in frustration, all too aware of the fact that instead of dealing with the dozens of emails needing responses from me, I’m wandering around the place like a lovesick teenager.
Until I see her.
She’s in the lunchroom, her back to me, pouring coffee into a branded Cove mug. She’s dressed more casually than she usually is at the office—jeans, a fitted black sweater, ankle boots—but it’s a gut punch. Effortless. Beautiful. The sun shining through the window catches the natural highlights in her hair, which is pulled back off her face. When she turns and sees me standing just outside the doorway, her eyes widen just a fraction, and she smiles.
“You following me, Winters?”
“Maybe.” I smirk.
The air shifts between us. Thickens.
I close the distance slowly, not crowding her, but enough that she feels it. The space narrows. My pulse kicks harder.
“You got my message?” I ask, keeping my tone casual even though I feel anything but when I’m around her.
Her fingers curl around the mug. “Whistler. Three days.”
Every nerve in my body fires up being this close to her again. I keep telling myself to take it slow, play it cool, but she makes it impossible. She’s magnetic, every glance or smile pulling me in, daring me to forget all the reasons I should hold back. My heart’s hammering in my chest, and I’m not sure if it’s from the memory of kissing her yesterday or from how badly I want to do it now.
“Two nights,” I add, watching her carefully. “You’ll be there?”
She gives a small shrug. “You’re not really giving me a choice.”
“You’re the only one who can handle it. This—” I gesture loosely, meaning Cove, the scandal, all of it, “—this needs you.”
It’s true, and she knows it. For a moment, she looks away, out the window, like she’s weighing what this really means. Three days away with me. When her gaze returns, it’s sharp. Unflinching.
“Will anyone else be joining us?” she asks cooly.
“Jesse is trying to be there for some of it.”She nods as if she’s appraising me. “And what do you think about it, Lan? About us being away for the weekend?”
“I think you need me there,” she says, meeting my gaze. “For Cove.”
My mouth curves, but the look in my eyes is serious. I exhale slowly, stepping in closer, bracing my hands on either side of the counter she’s leaning against. I’m close enough to feel the warmth of her but not touching. Not quite. Not yet.
“What are youreallythinking, Ford?”
“I’m thinking,” I say, voice low, “that I want to kiss you right now, but I don’t know what the rules are anymore.”
Her breath catches. Just barely. But I see it. “You’ve never cared much for rules,” she says, trying for coy, but her voice betrays her.
“I haven’t,” I admit. “But I’ve never been this worried about messing things up, either.”
She’s quiet for a moment. Eyes searching mine. “What are you afraid of ruining?” she asks, softer now.
I don’t hesitate. “Us.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have said it. But it’s the truth. It’s how I feel.
